Hush, I'm here
by DramaSpell
Summary: When Ron leaves Harry and Hermione after the fight in Deathly Hallows, he gets captured by the death eaters. He does not expect to find Draco Malfoy in the dungeons. And he does not expect him to become an ally, or maybe more.


As Ron was pushed into the dungeons, he wished he had never left Harry and Hermione. As soon as he had realized his mistake, he had tried to come back to them, but he just kept getting more lost. He slept in the forest that night. The next day, the death eaters got hold of him. Lucky him. He tried to put up a fight but there were three of them and he was helpless. They brought him to Malfoy Manor, and he hung his head low as they presented him to his lovely new home, which was cold and dark, and underground, and a prison. "Try not to kill each other," the death eater's laugh echoed as he left and locked the door.

Ron just sighed as he sat on a dirty pillow in front of none other than Malfoy, each of their backs against stone pillars. Ron watched him, but Malfoy was staring down at his hands. He looked defeated and shameful. His hair was a dirty blonde instead of the usual gleaming color. Ron found himself feeling bad for the boy, something he never thought would happen.

"What the hell are you doing down here?" Ron asked.

There was a long pause after which he thought Malfoy wasn't going to answer him, but he finally spoke in a small and weak voice that Ron almost didn't recognize, "Tried to escape the Dark Lord."

Ron was sincerely shocked by that. "You did what?"

"I was going to leave the country, but I was stupid in my planning, and Dolohov caught me and brought me to the Dark Lord." Malfoy sounded in pain as he said this. "He punished me for being a coward and fleeing the war. Now here I am."

Ron thought that was ironic because he felt that defying his parents and… him… was probably the less cowardly thing Malfoy had ever done in his miserable life. And it's not like he had any friends to abandon anyway. He froze in his thoughts, because that was exactly what he had done today. He had abandoned his friends. So was he the coward now?

"What are they planning to do to us?" Ron was worried, even though he tried not to show it.

"I don't know. They're probably going to let us rot to death, well, me. Of course, the amazing Harry Potter is going to come and save you."

Ron was almost pleased to hear the usual sarcasm in Malfoy's voice. It made everything almost normal again.

"He won't even know I'm here."

"How could he not know? You're always together." Ron thought he heard jealousy in his voice, but he ignored it.

"We were not together when they took me. I was angry, and I had left them. I was stupid too."

"At least now we're not stupid alone." Malfoy finally looked up at him. He had sad grey eyes, but he also had a small smile that felt foreign on his face. Ron was mesmerized by it. He was strangely happy that he was not, in fact, alone.

The night was interminable. His back hurt as he tried to sleep on the hard floor, with nothing but the old pillow for comfort. There were insects that would randomly crawl all over the place, and he could hear strange sounds in the dark. He just kept thinking about spiders and spent every second in fear that one would choose to walk on him. He was not fourteen anymore, but that didn't mean that his fears were completely under control.

In the morning, a different death eater came to wake him up. It was Dolohov. Ron recognized him from the papers. He took him by the arm and forced him up on his feet. They walked into a small room at the back of the dungeons and Dolohov closed the door behind them. The room was empty except for the wall that had two long chains with handcuffs attached to their ends.

"Now," said Dolohov, already impatient. "You're going to tell me exactly where Harry Potter is. You're clearly not going to answer me that easy, but maybe this will help."

Before the end of that sentence, Ron already knew what was coming, and he was dreading it. Dolohov raised his wand, and Ron closed his eyes in fear as he heard, "Crucio." Right away, he felt the most unexplainable pain. He screamed and fell hard to his knees, palms down on the ground. There were burning tears swelling in his eyes.

The pain suddenly stopped, but he was still trying to catch his breath, and he could hardly hear what Dolohov was saying, something about Harry. Ron did not talk. He did not even try to stand up. He did not want to move. Not ever.

He heard Dolohov scream in anger, "You want more, I see."

"Please, no," Ron whimpered.

"Please, no," Dolohov mocked. "You're ridiculous. Crucio."

Ron really tried not to scream this time, but it was impossible. The pain was too much. He locked his hands behind his head and laid his forehead on the floor, trying in vain to protect himself from the overwhelming pain.

"Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?"

Ron wanted to die. He wanted the pain to stop. Please, let it stop. Please, let it stop. Just when he thought he would break in two, it finally stopped, but he still couldn't move.

"Get up, scum," Dolohov said, giving him a kick in the ribs.

Ron struggled to stand up.

"Just know this," Dolohov said, menacingly. "I will be coming back, and you will have to talk, you will." He kicked him again so that he would walk out the door.

Ron quietly went back and sat in his spot by the pillar, eyes empty and body shaking.

"Hey…" Ron jumped at that. He had completely forgotten about Malfoy. "You can relax now," Malfoy said as he approached and sat next to him. Ron would have found it weird, Malfoy trying to comfort him, but he really needed the reassurance. He felt so stranded without his friends.

"The curse, it felt like dying but worst."

"It does. He tortured me too during the first week."

Ron guessed it was just old-fashioned fun to those people, because they had nothing to gain from torturing Malfoy. It was a scary thought, that some people took that much pleasure in torturing others. He hated Malfoy for as long as he could remember. He hated him and his family name even before they met, but just thinking about him receiving the curse made him sick. He still would not wish this on his own enemy.

"How long have you been in here?"

"Honestly… I don't even know anymore. It must have been something like one month judging by that miserable window."

That was a terribly long time to be trapped alone in the dark. Ron was sad just thinking about it. He looked at that small round window up high which was the only source of sun in the dungeons. A ray of sunshine was pointlessly trying to pierce through the dirty glass. He felt like it was a metaphor for the hope they were trying to sustain. Ron gradually stopped shaking, embarrassingly aware of Malfoy's skin close to his and the comfort it provided him.

"I feel guilty," Malfoy declared, suddenly.

"I can't see why," Ron frowned.

There was a pause, then Malfoy explained himself, "Yesterday, when you arrived, I thought to myself that I was happy to have company. It was insanely selfish of me to think that."

Ron grinned, "Just the fact that you feel bad about that tells me that you are a better person than I thought."

"Maybe it's being imprisoned that made me better."

"Maybe, or maybe you were only pretending to be a bad person." Ron turned to look at him as he said this. He knew that, ironically enough, Malfoy was the only thing that would keep him sane from now on, and he was grateful for it. He didn't care if they were being selfish. After all, it's a known fact that misery likes company.

That night, they slept close to each other.

The next day, Dolohov came back, and he tortured him even longer than the first time. Ron felt sick when Dolohov brought him back to Malfoy. He fell on his knees after Dolohov pushed him hard in front of the other boy, just to humiliate him. As soon as he left, Malfoy took them both by surprise as he wrapped his arms around Ron's quivering body.

"Hush, I'm here," Malfoy said, his voice strangely soft. Ron couldn't help but cry quietly, his chin on Malfoy's shoulder, as he slowly brought his arms up around him too. He felt safe and sound for a minute.

Dolohov came back every day for more than a week. Malfoy would always hug him afterwards and he would even sing lullabies to help him sleep. It was all so ridiculous that he sometimes forgot that he was the same person he used to hate at school.

Then, one day, Dolohov stopped coming back, but Ron still expected him and he spent every hour in fear, anxiously jumping at every sound. He was getting more and more relaxed as the days went by, trying to think of anything else but Dolohov. He and Malfoy would make small talk to pass the time. They would talk about Quidditch and happy memories, anything that had nothing to do with the war.

"I remember when I first saw a dragon." Ron grinned as he was telling the story. "I was twelve years old and my brother was showing me his new job. The dragon was spitting fire and they were trying to restrain it. It felt like it could escape at any moment. I was scared, but I was impressed by my brother. I remember thinking that I would like to be as courageous as Charlie one day."

"Well, you already were. I probably would have pissed myself in fear." Malfoy said in all seriousness.

"Wow, such honesty coming from you."

"I don't know why I said it so bluntly though." They laughed, and it almost hurt inside.

"I could be blunt too so that it's fair."

"Go ahead." Malfoy smirked.

"It's been so long since I've taken a bath that I can actually smell myself right now and it's horrifying."

"Imagine me. I'm so dirty that my skin probably looks a normal tanned color by now." They burst out laughing and Ron almost rolled to the floor.

"Does it hurt when you laugh or am I the only rusted one?"

"It does hurt, but in a good way." Grimly, he added, "I don't remember the last time I laughed to be honest."

"Oh…" Ron knew he had officially killed the mood and he berated himself for it. Malfoy clearly had it worst than him. He was alone in this war since the start, whereas he had Harry and Hermione and everyone else. It must have been hard when he made that choice to leave his family behind. It must have been hard to turn his back on them because of what they stand for, even if he had to, just to stay sane. He must have felt like everything was falling apart.

Ron didn't know how that happened, but he felt like he finally understood him. He knew now that Malfoy never really was a villain. The truth was that he had been raised in a cold world where people were forcing their toxic ideas on him, and all that darkness made him hurt inside. It made him long for some peace. He was simply a scared little boy.

"Don't be sorry. I know I dug my own grave."

"But you didn't though. Your parents did, because you were never really given a choice."

Malfoy frowned, "Why are you so indulgent with me?"

"Maybe because we're stuck here together, and I need an ally? It has been the absolute worst, but somehow, you made it bearable."

Malfoy didn't answer. He just looked at him intensely, long enough for Ron to become uncomfortable. He didn't know where to look and he felt awkward. "Are you okay?" Ron asked. Malfoy apparently made up his mind because he suddenly leaned in. Gently, Malfoy kissed him. Ron just stood there, not knowing what to do. He was still trying to decide on the correct response when he heard footsteps approaching. Malfoy ripped himself away from him and stood back as Dolohov stepped to them. He looked especially angry. This time, he didn't bother taking him to the room.

"You have to talk now, because the Dark Lord is getting annoyed and I will not let you make a fool out of me."

"You can torture me again, but I won't tell you a bloody thing and you know it."

In a matter of seconds, Dolohov had his wand pressed into his jaw. He spat, "You don't know how much I would love to kill you right now."

Ron tensed at the threat, but he didn't look away. "You can't just kill me," he said. "You need me here as hostage. Harry will come for me when he finds out where I am."

"He's right. And the Dark Lord won't be happy if you do that," he heard Malfoy say, but Dolohov didn't even glance at him.

"How about I kill the Malfoy boy, if you don't cooperate?"

Ron's breath caught in his throat at the thought. He tried his best to look unbothered. "As if I care," he said, rather unconvincingly. He looked briefly at Malfoy out of the corner of his eye.

"Liar. I saw you kissing just now." Ron closed his eyes in distress. He didn't know what to do anymore. He was not strong enough for this, not without Harry by his side. "I know what you are. Wizard scum, you are. I don't mind taking out the trash and I might just start by killing that ugly boyfriend of yours, unless you do exactly what I say."

"Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't. I don't even know where they are anymore. They could be anywhere."

"I don't care. Just give me something."

"No," Ron whimpered. He was desperate for him to go away.

"As you wish," Dolohov said as he turned his wand towards Malfoy's face.

"Don't you dare." Ron was horrified. Would he really do it?

"If you kill me, my father will make you pay the price."

Dolohov laughed at that and it was a weird sight. "Your father is dead, stupid." Malfoy blanched at the brutal news. "No. He can't be dead," he said, shaking his head. Dolohov laughed harder, the hand that was holding his wand dropping to his side, eyes half closed, "It was the Dark Lord himself, who asked me to kill him. Do you want to know why? He and your mother had the nerve to ask for you to be freed, so he punished them for their weakness."

Malfoy's eyes filled up with sorrow when he talked about his mother. Ron felt like he wanted to ask about her but couldn't bring himself to. He guessed that Dolohov saw it too as he added, "Your precious mommy is dead too."

"No. Stop lying." Malfoy was choking on the words and Ron felt the need to reach out and hug the poor boy. "She's not… She can't be…"

Dolohov was still laughing as if he was having the best of fun when he declared, "I killed her."

Ron had seen the anger rise in Malfoy's face, but he hadn't expected him to boldly launch himself at Dolohov and take his wand from him. The death eater was obviously taken by surprise, and his joy turned into panic as Malfoy was now the one shoving the wand in his face. He had tears of anger in his eyes as he said, "I will make you pay for this. I will kill you." Ron was worried that he really would. He had to say something to stop him.

"Please, Malfoy, don't do this."

"You heard what he said. He deserves it."

"I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about you. No matter how much he deserves it, you don't deserve to be a killer. You have a good heart, I know you do."

"You don't know me. I did bad things."

"If you did, that doesn't make you a bad person. You're a good person that was taught to be bad."

Malfoy still looked like he was about to kill Dolohov. He was staring directly into his eyes, with so much hatred and so much pain that it made Ron's heart ache.

"Please, Draco…"

Malfoy finally looked at Ron for a second. Then he looked back at Dolohov, waved the wand, and said, "Stupefy." After that, he just stood there, looking like he had also been stunned.

Ron took his hand. "Hurry, we have to leave."

Malfoy nodded in agreement and let himself be dragged past the door and into the stairs. They paused to confirm that the back hall was empty before they fled to the nearest door. Malfoy opened it. It led to the gardens. They ran from tree to tree to get to the hedge. It was tall and dense.

"We can't get through that," Ron panicked. Malfoy whispered a spell that created a small arch big enough for one person to pass through. "Brilliant. I had forgotten about the wand," Ron exclaimed as Malfoy went in first. He followed him to the other side. Malfoy then closed the hole. He grabbed both of Ron's forearms and they apparated into an alleyway in London.

"So glad I escaped death just now." He said, and Ron had a feeling that was sarcasm. To confirm his doubts, he then added, "I feel sick." Ron heard the distress in his voice. He looked into his eyes and saw the pure suffering that they bared. He told himself that he was supposed to be the brave one, one hug couldn't be that hard to manage. He moved closer to Malfoy and wrapped his arms around his feeble body.

"Hush, I'm here," he said, because there really was nothing he could do or say that would made this okay, but he wanted Malfoy to know that he was not alone and that it was his turn to cry, which he did. When his tears began to dry up, Ron stood back a few inches, still holding onto Malfoy. "We should go to my brother Bill's cottage. You'll be safe there."

"I can't," Malfoy said. "He won't accept me."

"Not at first, but he will. I'll make sure he does. Trust me." Malfoy didn't look convinced. "Trust me," Ron repeated.

"Fine. I've got nothing to lose anyway."

Ron took both of his hands and gave him a reassuring nod before he apparated them to Shell Cottage. Bill was looking at them, dumfounded, a cup of tea in his hands. He was even more shocked when he saw Malfoy. Before he could say anything, Ron spoke, "I swear I will explain, but first, would you like to take a bath, Malfoy?"

"I really would."

"It's upstairs, to your right," said Ron, smiling warmly. It was better this way. He didn't need to hear the story all over again. It would just hurt him more.

Once Malfoy was gone, he turned to Bill and started to explain everything. Bill was comprehensive, like he knew he would be. He said that he did not trust Malfoy, but that he trusted Ron, and that it was enough for him.

After that, Ron went to take a shower too. It was the best shower he ever had. It felt like washing away dirty memories. When he came out the shower, Ron looked out the window and saw that Malfoy was sitting by the beach, looking at the sea. Ron dressed himself, left the house, and quietly sat close to him. They were silent for a minute, then Ron dared to ask the thing that was on his mind, "Why did you kiss me?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because."

"Real mature."

"You're the one answering my question with another question."

"I don't know, okay! Maybe I needed comfort and you were the only person around." Ron looked at him skeptically. Malfoy sighed. "Okay, okay, I might have a crush on you. Ugh, why did I use this childish word… I mean, like you said, you made this whole thing bearable. I know it's weird, and you're probably freaked out right now, but I…"

Ron shut him up with a kiss. This time, they both moved their lips together. It was soft, and Ron did his best to charge it with everything that he now felt for him. It was a mix of compassion, gratefulness and something like love. He felt Malfoy's hand softly touch his cheek. He draped his arms around Malfoy and drew him even closer. When the kiss ended, Ron rested his forehead against his and confessed in a whisper, "I have a crush on you too, silly."

"Really?" Malfoy whispered in turn.

"Really. And I know it's been hard, and it will keep being hard for a while. But you have to know that whatever happens from now on, I will try and make it better. I'm here, Draco."

Malfoy hugged him close. "I'm here too, Ron."


End file.
